Human activity results in the production of a wide range of pollutants that can enter the water cycle through stormwater or wastewater. Among others, heavy metals are still detected in high concentrations around urban areas and their impact on aquatic organisms is of major concern. In this study, we propose to use a substance flow analysis as a tool for heavy metals management in urban areas. We illustrate the approach with the case of copper in Lausanne, Switzerland. The results show that around 1,500 kg of copper enter the aquatic compartment yearly. This amount contributes to sediment enrichment, which may pose a long-term risk for benthic organisms. The major sources of copper in receiving surface water are roofs and catenaries of trolleybuses. They represent 75% of the total input of copper into the urban water system. Actions to reduce copper pollution should therefore focus on these sources. Substance flow analysis also highlights that copper enters surface water mainly during rain events, i.e., without passing through any treatment procedure. A reduction in pollution could also be achieved by improving stormwater management. In conclusion, the study showed that substance flow analysis is a very effective tool for sustainable urban water management.

The optimization and management of an integrated urban wastewater system is a complex problem involving many processes and variables. The possible control options are defined by several management strategies that may differently impact the economic, operational or environmental performance of the system. The present paper aims to contribute to the environmental and energy sustainability of urban wastewater systems by means of a multicriteria performance analysis. The paper begins with a complete analysis of the...

Scaling up pilot projects providing continuous water supply to households in Indian cities has proved challenging. This study identifies opportunities and barriers in scaling up, in order to derive recommendations for bridging the gap between testing policy innovations and bringing projects to scale. We analyse pilot design, required resources, and drivers of stakeholders, institutions and the environment for a case study in Karnataka and find a wide range of factors that affect adoption of 24/7 water supply....

In this paper, significant variables of domestic urban water demand required for the purpose of estimation of urban water supply in five planned colonies of the City of Ajmer, Rajasthan, India, are identified. The data for these 16 variables are entered in the multiple linear regression (MLR) (stepwise) models in SPSS software, and domestic water demand models are developed. Based on these models, the six most significant variables, namely temperature (T), rainfall (RF), family size (FS), family income (FI),...

Improving water management in California requires a transition from imported to local water resources used efficiently. To assess this transitional capacity of water retailers in metropolitan Los Angeles County, we focused on a key water management metric: the water distribution efficiency. We traced the evolution of water loss reduction policy and practices globally with emphasis on California. California Senate Bills 1420 and 555 mandate annual water auditing and reporting for urban water suppliers. We surveyed...

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